SARAH: The word pilgrim derives from the latin word, peregrīnus, and originally meant an alien, someone who had come from a foreign land. It later came to mean any kind of traveler.

RALPH: By Shakespeare’s time, the meaning had narrowed to refer to a religiously devout person who was either making a physical journey to a holy site, or a spiritual journey through life.

SARAH: In this passage, Romeo’s red lips are compared to two blushing worshipers on a pilgrimage to a holy shrine, represented by Juliet.

RALPH: In the period when Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, several religious groups left England and set sail for America, fleeing persecution for their beliefs.  Members of one of these groups were called Puritans because they felt that the official Church of England was not “pure” enough and needed reform. When Americans use the word “pilgrims” today, we’re often referring to this group who landed at Plymouth Rock on board the Mayflower.